Hoopla: an informal noun meaning bustling excitement or activity, sensational publicity, and speech/writing intended to mislead or to obscure an issue. That pretty much says it all. This is a place to discuss everything exciting, sensational, confusing and crazy in Hollywood and beyond.
I'm pretty sure The Fighter was the first movie I saw in the new year. My father wanted to see Little Fockers. Thankfully, I persuaded him to see this instead. I have to say right up front, I do not like sports movies. I don't know why, the genre just doesn't appeal to me that much. But The Fighter isn't so much a sports movie as it is a movie about family. The whole film is about struggling to accept one's family--the good and the bad. And there's a lot of bad in Mickey Ward's family: dependency, ignorance, addiction, etc. Yet, love is able to win out over all of these obstacles. While Mark Wahlberg plays the lead character, this is really Christian Bale's movie. He steals every scene with his emaciated presence and exaggerated facial expressions. It's hard to take your eyes off of him. But perhaps this isn't a good thing considering that he is the supporting actor in this film.
The King's Speech
In stark contrast to the wild, over-the-top performances in The Figher, The King's Speech was amazingly subtle. The craziest thing about it was the wallpaper (you'll know what I mean if you've seen it). Once again, this was a film marked by outstanding performances. Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth were especially impressive. At one point, Firth's character confesses his childhood abuse to the tune of "Camptown Races" and it is heartbreaking, let me tell you. Bertie's brother is delightfully horrible, in such a way that you do not pity him one little bit throughout the course of the movie. But what I really loved was the relationship between Bertie and Lionel. Their evolving friendship and trust is lovely, and definitely the highlight of the film. That is not to belittle the directing either which was very appropriate--jarring and unsettling at times to highlight Bertie's discomfort. Don't be surprised if this one wins Best Picture, it's got a lot going for it.
Winter's Bone
The next film I saw was...the opposite of feel-good. Winter's Bone is quietm frightening, and just plain haunting. Ree, played by Jennifer Lawrence is a remarkably stoic heroine. Like The Fighter, the importance of family and the destruction of Meth are at the core of this film. However, Ree never considers abandoning her family, even when it seems like the only option, and realistically, no one in this film is able to overcome addiction. Part suspense film, part coming of age story, and part brutal examination of poverty and violence, it's hard to put your finger on the nature of this movie. Perhaps the most upsetting thing about this gritty film is that its setting, while so unfamiliar to most Americans, is right in the middle of present-day Missouri. Ree's strength in this harsh world puts other movie protagonists to shame.
True Grit
I watched True Grit immediately following Winter's Bone, and the similarities were stunning. They both feature a young girl trying to protect her family and find her father's murderer with nothing more than enormous strength, a brave desire to breach social boundaries, and the help of a flawed-yet-protective father-figure. However, True Grit is a Western, and surprisingly heartfelt and occasionally humorous. If all Westerns are like this one, I think I might develop a taste for the genre. Given the cast (Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin) it's pretty impressive that newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is not only able to hold her own, but also command an excellent performance. In fact, the best part of the film is watching her snipe at Bridges and Damon--the dialog and and their group dynamic is impeccable. It's not quite as quirky as the typical Coen Brother's film, but it's got heart and spirit, and that's something.
127 Hours
The final nominee I saw was 127 Hours, and I definitely saved one of the best for last. Director Danny Boyle described this film as "very British" considering that it's "an action movie about a guy who can't move." That is the wonder of this film. How do we take a plot consisting of a man stuck under a rock and make it griping, make it attention-getting, make it move. Yet, it does move--very well in fact. The pacing of this film is fantastic. Flashbacks and hallucinations give us movement (although they always bring us back to the rock), but also background and motivation on this fascinating character. Aron is a man who never lets anyone else in. That's why he's trapped and left to die; he told no one where he was going, and let no one go with him. In his 5 days under the rock, he has achieved what he has been aiming for his whole life--he is alone. And that's when he realizes that he can't go on living like that. Franco and Boyle both show enormous talent by creating a movie that has no right to be as gripping and entertaining as it is. Oh, and if you're squeamish, the part where he actually cuts off his arm is only 5 minutes long. You can handle it.
Last year was the first time that the Oscars allowed more than 5 nominees for Best Picture since 1944. This was also the first year that I pledged to watch all of the nominees before the ceremony so I could judge for myself which movie deserved the award. I guess I just like a challenge. This year, I made the same decision, and I am proud to say I have officially seen all 10 Academy nominees for Best Picture (a whole week before the show, might I add). I plan to make some predictions in the next few days, but for now, I thought it would be appropriate to give my initial reactions to these films. I'll try to list these in the order in which I saw them.
Toy Story 3
The first nominee I watched was Toy Story 3. This was in the summer, long before anyone was even talking about the Oscars, but I had a good hunch that it would make the short-list anyway--this is Pixar we're talking about, after all. Obviously, I loved this film. I grew up with the series, and much like Andy I felt like I had reconnected with my childhood over the course of the movie and let go of it by the end. Toy Story 3, like most Pixar films is successful because it understands the value of innocence. Many children's movies today are laden with sarcasm, pop culture references and fart jokes (Shrek immediately comes to mind). This keeps adult viewers trapped in their positions as "adult viewers," while movies like Toy Story 3 allow us to become children again by engaging us with innocent wonder, even if it's just for two hours. If Toy Story 3 has anything going against it, it's that as a sequel, it just doesn't inspire the same sense of imagination and originality as other recent Pixar films such as Up and Wall-E.
Inception
Next up for me was Inception. Immediately after leaving the theater, I knew this film deserved every award and honor it would inevitably received due to one thing--its originality. Compared to last years most popular nominee, Avatar, Inception just puts it and every other blockbuster action movie to shame. Not only was it visually stunning, it also had a brilliant and compelling plot. Months later, I still can't figure out whether or not that top fell. And don't even get me started on the beautiful costumes, set design, and score. This film worked on so many levels. However, I must admit that the characterization was quite weak, and only Leonardo DiCaprio's character was developed enough for my taste. Everyone else was just kind of...there. That's why Inception is a near-perfect heist-film, but only an average Oscar-nominee.
The Social Network
I saw The Social Network not too long after it was released because of all the buzz it was getting. What's truly interesting about The Social Network is that it's not just "a movie about Facebook," as all my friends kept telling me. It's about the digital era and the engineer-culture that allows tech-geeks like Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg to achieve what once only well-connected business leaders could. It's about the meaning of friendship, and serves as a cautionary tale of how success does not change us, but rather, highlights our preexisting strengths and weaknesses. It's also about a man who realizes that he has both achieved and lost so much because of one fatal flaw--his inability to connect (ironic considering the social nature of Facebook, right?) That flaw is actually is a big theme this year and can also be seen in Nina from Black Swan and Aron in 127 Hours. But more on that later.
The Kids are Alright
I watched The Kids are Alright on a whim right before winter break because I needed to laugh, and it was billed as a comedy. But while the humor is more than adequate, what this movie really has going for it is a great cast and superior acting. The problems stem from the treatment of the main characters. For example, look at poor Paul. By the end of the film, every member of the family has forgiven one another, but he is still left without forgiveness or resolution. And since he is one of the most likable characters in the movie, this is a real problem. Furthermore, the film attempts to portray a modern and seemingly exceptional family in a realistic light, but I can't help but feel that the message is that gay families are just as dysfunctional as straight ones. A progressive message I suppose, but not necessarily a good one. What I'm saying is that this was an excellent film, but its political implications are slightly troubling.
Black Swan
As for Black Swan, I saw this movie over winter break with my mother. I guess all of those sex scenes should have been uncomfortable for me because of this, but my mom and I watch True Blood together--no sex scene is nearly as uncomfortable compared to the ones in that show. Anyway, this was possibly one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever seen. Like Inception, I kept wondering what was real and what was imagined. I also wanted to analyze the heck out of it. And I am apparently not the only one, here's an examination of the role of bathrooms in Black Swan. There's a lot to digest about this movie, like Nina's relationship with her mother, the role of Lily (is she real at all?), and the nature of her transformation. Personally, I think two things are of huge importance in this film: Nina's perfectionism and her inability to relate to anyone else in the movie--these are her downfall. This movie is rich and wonderfully thought-provoking, although it might be a bit too much for the average movie-goer, or viewers like my mother who thought it was "just a ballet movie." Whoops.
Oh my, this is getting much longer than I had intended. Let's take a break for now. Part 2 is on its way!
Once again, I bring you my super-quick, weekly recap of the wild world of entertainment news!
Let’s get this started with the biggest story of the week, the Grammy Awards. As usual, it was less of an awards show and more of a circus act. Lady Gaga arrived to the ceremony in an Egg. Get it? Because she was “Born This Way?”
Or should I say, "Hatched This Way."
And now it’s time for some egg puns! Gaga’s performance was egg-celent, although it did sound egg-actly like Madonna’s “Egg-spress Yourself.” Surprisingly, Gaga’s was not craziest performance of the night. That honor goes to Cee Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow and half-a-dozen muppets who sang a “slightly” edited version of his song, “Forget You.”
So, who were the big winners? While Eminem led going into the show with 10 nominations, he only won two. Lady Antebellum won five Grammys, including record and song of the year. Arcade Fire won the highest award—album of the year. But the biggest surprise was Esperanza Spalding, who beat out Justin Bieber to win best new artist. And even though a lot of people are complaining because they don’t know who she is, in my opinion, it’s refreshing that the best new artist isn’t already a world-wide phenomenon. I'd suggest listening to some of her songs, she's pretty good.
In casting news, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Christopher Nolan’s newest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. Well, rumor has it that Marion Cotillard is in talks to join and will probably have a substantial part in the upcoming movie. When this is confirmed, she will be the fourth Inception actor to be cast. For those of you playing along at home, that’s Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard. I’m starting to think the Inception cast witnessed Nolan murder someone, and now they’re all blackmailing him to be in the new Batman movie. That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it.
I'm not a big football fan, but I always enjoy watching the Super Bowl. The crazy fans, the half-time show, the ridiculous beer commercials...what's not to love? And if you get bored, you can always switch over to Animal Planet for the annual Puppy Bowl. But one of the most interesting things about the Super Bowl, in my opinion, is the show that follows the highest-rated televised event of the year.
There's also a kitten half-time show, in case the puppies cute aren't enough.
Airing the Super Bowl is an opportunity for a network to do some serious branding (i.e.: it's a great way to get viewers to watch a network and develop strong associations with it, thus encouraging them to tune into that network again). You see the same thing with the Olympics, the Oscars, and any other "big event." Imagine if you were a network executive. Pretty much everybody watches the Super Bowl, which means that for one night, everybody will be watching your network--they'll be seeing your logo in the corner of their screens and view promos for your television shows. But most importantly, the network that covers the Super Bowl has a chance to schedule one of its regular shows after the Bowl, resulting in a huge audience turn-over and usually outstanding ratings for that show.
It's called lead-out programming. The idea is that most people are too lazy to change the channel or turn off the TV after the program they want to watch is finished (this is less true today with remote controls and DVRs, but it's still a surprisingly effective programming strategy). So, when a network wants a show to get high ratings, they tend to schedule it after a very popular show.
Sometimes I ask myself, how does Chuck Lorre do it?
A good example of this would be CBS's The Big Bang Theory. In its first season, it was scheduled after How I Met Your Mother, a popular Monday night comedy. This helped Theory, a new show, earn an average of 8 million viewers. But in the middle of it's second season, it was placed after Two and a Half Men, which is CBS's highest-rated comedy. There, it got much better ratings, and after it's third season, it averaged about 14 million viewers. I do not mean to attribute all of Theory's success to where it was placed in the schedule, but the correlation with higher ratings is clearly more than a coincidence. Now in it's fourth season the show is so successful that CBS has moved it to Thursday nights at 8 and is using it as a lead-in to their new show $#*! My Dad Says. It's the circle of life.
And it moves us all...
Obviously, placing a show after the Super Bowl is not exactly the same. For one thing, it is an example of stunting, because the Super Bowl is not a regular event. That is usually why the lead-off Super Bowl show is a slightly unusual episode. For example, in 2009, a one-hour long episode of The Office (a normally half-hour sitcom) followed the Super Bowl. Most of the shows that air after the Super Bowl have benefited a great deal from the exposure such as Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, and Undercover Boss, the latter of which premiered after the Super Bowl and became the most popular new show of season.
This year, FOX has chosen sophomore hit, Glee as the lead-off. This will no doubt be Glee's highest rated episode yet. Of course, this a show that has employed some very clever strategies to attain its popularity. Glee originally employed "premier stunting" or, starting a show in a favorable time slot and moving it at a later date, in order to get the buzz going with fans. The pilot episode premiered on May 19, 2009 and the network did not air the next episode until the beginning of the fall season. In between that time the cast did mall-tours and promotions, encouraging fans to watch the show and creating buzz all summer. This helped the show create a fan base that has grown with each season. Glee also uses "stunt casting" and special episodes to increase viewer-ship, such as the "Britney/Brittany" episode which included cameos by Britney Spears and was the second highest-rated episode to date.
Now the question is, how much will Glee benefit by following the Super Bowl? It's hard to say. Obviously, ratings will sky-rocket, but Glee might not succeed as much as previous lead-off shows simply because it is not tailor-made for the average Super Bowl viewer. Compared to the extremely family and viewer-friendly, average-Joe-inspired reality show Undercover Boss, which lead-off last year, Glee just does not have the same mass-appeal. But the Glee cast and crew are obviously doing everything in their power to make this the best episode yet. This will be the most expensive episode of the show, costing $3-5 million to make, and will feature the cast singing Michael Jackson's "Thriller," as well as Katy Perry's "California Gurls," which will include fire-breathers and bikini-clad cheerleaders in an attempt to attract the male demographic. Having seen the clip, all I have to say is...yeah, good luck with that. But you can judge for yourself when Glee premiers its newest episode tonight after the Super Bowl.
For the record, I am not endorsing the film The Roommate, primarily because it looks horrendous. But I did want to point out some of the creative promotional material for this movie. Today, there was and ad for it in the student news paper, disguised as as a roommate wanted ad you might find in the classified section. Very clever. They're probably running this ad in about every college news paper in the country (as they should be).
Apparently if you dial the phone number, you'll hear Leighton Meester telling you that she just wants to be your friend. I don't think I'll be calling up "Rebecca" anytime soon, but if you're curious, go for it.
Then just an hour ago, I found this video on College Humor (again, very smart way to target university students).
"We live in a world where millions of people go every day without touching my shit. Why can't you be one of them?" Love it.
So while this movie looks like a cheap rip-off ofSingle White Female, I'm going to give the film props for two things: A) casting Leighton Meester, one of the cutest and most endearing young actresses in Hollywood, as a deranged killer, and B) creating a unique marketing campaign that almost makes me want to see the movie. Almost.
